Representation by Alastair Macqueen
- Date submitted
- 6 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Having lived in Burbage for 46 years I have witnessed many changes. Burbage itself has grown from an adjunct village area of Hinckley to a major housing estate with unlimited growth over the last 30 years. Recently - in the last 10-15 years - this area has also become the centre of major distribution companies and the growth has been in my view excessive. 1. At the moment there are two massive DPD depots around the M69 and A5 and an Amazon distribution centre which are themselves a blight on the environment and contribute to a massive growth of traffic on the surrounding roads - M69, A5 in particular. Magna Park is no more than 5 miles from these and the significant amount of warehousing already there as well as the major extension now being built towards Burbage and Hinckley is quite unbelievable (all on green belt land), and has been the centre of much protest and disquiet over many years. I can't calculate the number of warehouses and distribution centres in this area but every local Industrial Estate, of which there are many, seems to be full of them. I would suggest you calculate the total number of major warehouses and distribution centres in the Hinckley and Nuneaton area and decide if there is a need for more warehousing, more distribution traffic and an extended rail system. If you add all. this together, apart from the impact on the natural environment, it is clear that it is not conducive to a pleasant living environment for the people in this area who deserve better. 2. The natural environmental impact of this kind of development is incalculable no matter how much the company try to minimise this. Burbage Common, one of the few environmental jewels in this area, an outlet for the sizeable population, is inevitably threatened and the impact again cannot be calculated but anyone with any common sense will see that it can only be detrimental to its existence. Is this what you as government inspectors want to happen? Would you want such a treasure to be destroyed in your area? 3. The road network around the development is already inadequate -much of the A5 in particular from Nuneaton to the the M1 junction 18 is still single lane with only a limited amount of dual carriageway. 4. The so called golden distribution triangle of the M1,M6,M42, A5, A46 is already stretched to its traffic limits as anyone travelling in this area will confirm. This will only add to it. 5. I'm not sure where the demand for jobs is coming from in this area (one of the major claims for this) and would suggest a close look at the figures of unemployment in this area. Unemployment has never been high and the loss of the hosiery and knitwear industries has been well catered for since the collapse in the 1990s. What is not needed are low level skill jobs which inevitably come with this kind of development. 6. Finally of course why is there a need for another NRFT when there are 4 already in the Midlands and one within 15 miles at DIRFT near Jct18 of the M1. If it is so necessary, which is probably unlikely, then expand what already exists. Please don't be convinced by spurious and generalised economic arguments. Companies looking at this kind of development are well versed in making what look like convincing economic arguments but take little account of the impact on the personal lives of the people who are going to affected - not them of course! I get the impression these developers are 'flying a kite' and hope you will be carried away with it. Nor do they have to take responsibility in the future when things don't work out as they proposed, which is what usually happens with this kind of development. PLEASE DON'T LET IT HAPPEN. Alastair Macqueen